Excuse me?!?! - graceym

Well that was a very SCATHING and disrespectful post from a person who obviously hasn't tried Vocab longer than three minutes. Let's switch to a little honesty and realism from someone who has actually used and loves Vocab.

I admit I have used only Vocab 1.1, as I have Tiger and therefore can't update to 1.2. (This is the only complaint I can make.) I can't speak for widget incompatibility in the new version…but I can speak for everything else.

Yes, you insert your own words. (If you're too lazy to type them in one time, then how are you going to handle drilling yourself hundreds of times?) The program is designed for students already studying the language who have assigned words that need to be learned, not for people wanting to pick up new words they've never heard of. Think of it as electronic, super-cool, customizable flash cards. And yes, maybe you know it at the moment you look at your list and type it in, but what about weeks or months later? Just open a list and drill a few times to bring yourself up to speed.

Yes, the program limits you to Latin alphabets. How about Finnish, Dutch, Creole, Oromo, Norwegian, Portuguese, Sweedish, Austrian, Danish, Swiss, or Celtic languages?

Due to the wonders of Mac, Greek is also fully possible if you go into International settings and change your keyboard, as is Japanese, Arabic, really any language if you're willing to learn to type on a new keyboard.

Read the instructions for the widget…it's simple. Set the list you want and refresh the widget. No, it doesn't quiz (that's what the tests are for in the program), but it refreshes your memory of the words you've been studying.

I give Vocab an excellent rating. It's been a lifesaver for me in Spanish and French, and I guarantee satisfaction if you give it a chance. I can also guarantee from experience that if you send in useful feedback to the developers, they will include your advice (a couple of my suggestions are part of 1.2).

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Tuesday, January 20 2009 @ 03:04 AM PST